jeepstertim
Well-Known Member
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44°c (111°f) here in Qatar and someone thought it was a good idea to play in the sand. My Gladiator JTR’s first foray into the dunes and it did really well. Aired down to 25psi (think I’d go 18-ish next time) and we didn’t get bogged once, unlike the Tahoe we came across (husband and wife on their own) and F150 (twice) that needed recovery. When we did get stuck, it would always drive out.
I did however find one issue I couldn’t work out. When we had become ‘dug in’ in the sand, the Jeep sometimes felt like the torque converter was slipping. Trying to reverse out of soft sand, I could sit stationary (4hi with diff locks engaged) high engine RPM and I’d get nothing from the wheels, no turning at all, any ideas?
Off Road + was good in the sand but I still had a few failed ascents because the gearbox didn’t shift down in time to keep the RPM up, rather we would slow to almost a halt before it changed down and by that point, it was too late.
A stray metal bar in the sand has given the JTR its first scar (punctured fender) but even that could have been much worse.
I was even impressed with the fuel consumption, 14 mpg in the soft stuff on a 3 hr play and then 24mpg on the cruise home at 60-80mph.
All in all, a very capable sand machine.
I did however find one issue I couldn’t work out. When we had become ‘dug in’ in the sand, the Jeep sometimes felt like the torque converter was slipping. Trying to reverse out of soft sand, I could sit stationary (4hi with diff locks engaged) high engine RPM and I’d get nothing from the wheels, no turning at all, any ideas?
Off Road + was good in the sand but I still had a few failed ascents because the gearbox didn’t shift down in time to keep the RPM up, rather we would slow to almost a halt before it changed down and by that point, it was too late.
A stray metal bar in the sand has given the JTR its first scar (punctured fender) but even that could have been much worse.
I was even impressed with the fuel consumption, 14 mpg in the soft stuff on a 3 hr play and then 24mpg on the cruise home at 60-80mph.
All in all, a very capable sand machine.
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